Holographic wavefront sensor

Abstract

A holographic wavefront sensor inclusive of a multiplexed hologram that can reconstruct one or more diffracted beams from a single object or input beam onto a distant image plane. The position of the reconstructed beams on the distant image plane indicates the relative amounts of different aberrations present in the input beam. Optical and computer realization of the employed hologram are accomplished along with sensor configurations in simple and more complex uses.

1. A light wavefront phase aberration correction apparatus comprising the combination of:
 a phase correction holographic diffraction grating inclusive of a plurality of differing wavefront phase aberration-related holographic entries each representative of one of a differing wavefront aberration and a different wavefront aberration strength; 
 the phase correction holographic diffraction grating programmed with all expected wavefront aberrations and all expected aberration strengths needed to achieve a selected degree of precision; 
 a phase aberrated input image apparatus generating a phase aberrated input optical image at an input port of said phase correction holographic diffraction grating for each wavefront aberration; and 
 an output image detector apparatus receiving a plurality of physically dispersed correctively reconstructed input image component beams from an output port of said phase correction holographic diffraction grating, 
 the output image detector apparatus designed to analyze the entire light wavefront at once. 
 
   
   
     2. The light wavefront phase aberration correction apparatus of  claim 1  wherein said output image detector apparatus includes an electronic retina element. 
   
   
     3. The light wavefront phase aberration correction apparatus of  claim 2  wherein said electronic retina element comprises a charge coupled device array. 
   
   
     4. The light wavefront phase aberration correction apparatus of  claim 1  wherein said holographic diffraction grating is one of a phase relief, a spatial-spectral and an intensity grating configuration and also comprises one of a reflection mode hologram and a transmission mode hologram. 
   
   
     5. The light wavefront phase aberration correction apparatus of  claim 1  wherein said holographic diffraction grating is generated in a dynamic media. 
   
   
     6. The light wavefront phase aberration correction apparatus of  claim 1  wherein said holographic diffraction grating is comprised of one of a single multiplexed hologram and a stacked plurality of individual holograms. 
   
   
     7. The light wavefront phase aberration correction apparatus of  claim 1  wherein said holographic diffraction grating is comprised of holographic images each made with a reference beam of different angular orientation. 
   
   
     8. The light wavefront phase aberration correction apparatus of  claim 1  wherein said holographic diffraction grating includes output image spatial location determination components identifying magnitude and type of aberration present in said phase aberrated input optical image. 
   
   
     9. The light wavefront phase aberration correction apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the expected wavefront aberrations and the expected aberration strengths needed to achieve a selected degree of precision are at least described in terms of a Zernike polynomial aberration type, Z nm , and an aberration magnitude coefficient, A nm . 
   
   
     10. A method of generating a wavefront-corrected optical output image from a phase-aberrated input optical image, said method comprising the steps of:
 forming an image representing said phase-aberrated input optical image on an input port surface of a phase correction holographic diffraction grating having a plurality of differing wavefront phase aberration-related holographic patterns representing differing wavefront aberrations and differing wavefront aberration strengths included therein; 
 collecting a plurality of output image component beams from an output port surface of said phase correction hologram onto physically dispersed locations of an output image-receiving detector; and 
 reconstructing said input optical image in phase aberration-reduced optical output image form from said dispersed output image components. 
 
   
   
     11. The method of generating a wavefront-corrected optical output image from a phase-aberrated input optical image of  claim 10  wherein said collecting step includes receiving output image components at specific pixel locations of an electronic charge coupled device array. 
   
   
     12. The method of generating a wavefront-corrected optical output image from a phase-aberrated input optical image of  claim 10  wherein said phase correction holographic diffraction grating having a plurality of differing wavefront phase aberration-related holographic patterns representing differing wavefront aberrations and differing wavefront aberration strengths includes holographic images made with reference beams of differing angular disposition. 
   
   
     13. The method of generating a wavefront-corrected optical output image from a phase-aberrated input optical image of  claim 10  wherein one of said collecting and said reconstructing steps includes communicating optical images through a stacked plurality of different phase correction holographic diffraction gratings. 
   
   
     14. The method of generating a wavefront-corrected optical output image from a phase-aberrated input optical image of  claim 10  wherein one of said collecting and said reconstructing steps includes communicating optical images through a multiplexed multiple image phase correction holographic diffraction grating. 
   
   
     15. The method of generating a wavefront-corrected optical output image from a phase-aberrated input optical image of  claim 10  wherein said phase correction holographic diffraction grating includes one of a multiplexed single diffraction grating and a stack of differing individual diffraction gratings. 
   
   
     16. The method of generating a wavefront-corrected optical output image from a phase-aberrated input optical image of  claim 10  wherein said phase correction holographic diffraction grating is one of a phase relief, a spatial-spectral and an intensity grating configuration and also comprises one of a reflection mode hologram and a transmission mode hologram. 
   
   
     17. The method of generating a wavefront-corrected optical output image from a phase-aberrated input optical image of  claim 10  wherein said wherein said phase aberrated input optical image includes atmospheric generated phase aberrations. 
   
   
     18. A high speed optical processing method of generating a wavefront-corrected optical output image from a phase-aberrated input optical image, said method comprising the steps of:
 generating a planar phase correction holographic diffraction grating having a plurality of differing holographic image patterns each inclusive of a combined input beam and a reference beam of differing angular orientation for each holographic image pattern; 
 said plurality of differing holographic image patterns each representing a possible phase aberration and a phase aberration magnitude present in said input optical image; 
 forming an image representing said phase-aberrated input optical image on a planar input port surface of said phase correction holographic diffraction grating; 
 projecting a plurality of phase corrected output image components from said phase correction holographic diffraction grating onto a selected distinct location of a distant arrayed detector surface in response to which possible phase aberration and aberration magnitude is included in said phase-aberrated input optical image; and 
 reconstructing said input optical image in phase aberration-reduced optical output image form from said projected output image components.